Below is the full video of Toure's full speech at SLU. In it, he discussed the "racism" of the GOP and his perspective on gun control. During the last 15 minutes, you will see him argue directly with a woman in the audience about the latter topic.

During his presentation, Toure repeatedly referenced the "racist" tactic of the Republican party. Sure, I can understand disagreeing with our policies, but to imply that they are racist? That goes a bit far. What I noticed is that Toure repeatedly labeled the GOP's opposition to over-bloated welfare programs as "racist." That was the basis for his label. So, wanting a small government and less government dependency is racist? That's news to me. Furthermore, his implication is that attacking welfare is synonymous with attacking minorities. Isn't that a bit biased in and of itself?

Yes, I am aware that black Americans and other minority groups are disproportionally impoverished, but that's not a result of modern day racism. It's a result of New Deal and Great Society programs which destroyed the black family and solidified poverty for many black Americans. Thus, by attacking welfare programs, Republicans are suggesting a vision in which impoverished Americans will have more opportunity for success. Ending government dependency is not racist. It's simply rational.

I was recently awoken from a Zyrtec-induced (allergies are the worst) stupor in my American Revolution seminar class when I heard my professor make an off-handed comment about “magic words.” Having recently spent an undisclosed number of hours watching multiple Harry Potter movies, I assumed that he was referring to words like “Wingardium Leviosa” shouted with a swish and flick of a magic wand. Needless to say, I was a little off. The magic words he meant have probably never echoed through the halls of Hogwarts, yet they have become unbelievably common in our cultural vernacular.